Stifel Nicolaus' Christopher Mutascio effectively put out a pair trade Tuesday morning, upgrading shares of Fifth Third (Nasdaq: FITB) while at the same time downgrading shares of US Bancorp (NYSE: USB).

The analyst now rates Fifth Third shares a Buy, up from Hold previously, and set a $17 price target. Mutascio lowered his investment rating on shares of US Bancorp from Buy to Hold and suspended his $32 price target.

Traders are reacting appropriately ahead of the opening bell: Fifth Third shares are up 0.3 percent $14.48 and shares of US Bancorp are down 0.75 percent to $31.47.

Check out our Ratings Insider portal to get the most comprehensive and up-to-date analyst coverage on the Street.